Ellis County
What it takes to put a carport, garage, barn or RV cover on your property in Ellis County, Texas. Permit authority, wind speed, and who to call.
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Ellis County is one of the few Texas counties that names a carport in writing. Its Department of Development FAQ answers the permit question with: permits are required for ALL new structure/addition, septic system or any modification to an existing structure or system, and adds that any activity on property requires a permit, listing pools, sheds, ponds, tanks, shops, barns, carports, residential and nonresidential structures and accessory buildings. Applications go through the county's online portal and need a signed application, deed, survey, photo ID and a professional-quality drawing of the improvement.
Fee: Set by the Ellis County Development Master Fee Schedule, effective 09/01/2023. The county's permit site says to always contact staff for an accurate amount and does not publish figures on the page.
The county also applies a minimum lot standard of one acre with 150 feet of County or State road frontage. None of this reaches inside Waxahachie, Ennis, Midlothian or any other city limit, where the city permit governs instead.
Permits are required for ALL new structure/addition, septic system or any modification to an existing structure or system.
Any activity on property requires a permit. (i.e., pools, sheds, ponds, tanks, shops, barns, carports, residential/nonresidential structures, accessory buildings, etc.)
all permit applications are processed and handled through our online permit portal, MyGovernment Online (MGO).
Mon - Fri 8 AM - 4:30 PM
Always contact staff for an accurate amount.
Regional band for north texas. Wind speed follows your address, not the county line, so this is context and not a site figure.
ASCE 7, Risk Category II. Look up your exact address →
Cities and communities in Ellis County
Inside city limits the city's rules apply on top of the county's, and cities do zone. We have not yet read each city's ordinance, so every row below is marked unverified.
Ellis County Department of Development
302 N. Monroe St., Waxahachie, TX 75165 Call 972-825-5200 County permit page ↗Opens ATC Hazards by Location, the source we use for wind, snow and seismic values.